'Shut up' gaffe exposes envoy to criticism

Japan diplomat faces calls for resignation after video shows him telling delegates at a UN meeting to "shut up".

12 Jun 2013 10:35 GMT

Hideaki Ueda apparently lost his composure after delegates laughed at his earlier comment [AP]

Japan's human rights envoy to the UN is facing pressure to quit over a video which shows him shouting at delegates, telling them to "shut up".

The video, uploaded to Youtube this week, shows ambassador Hideaki Ueda asking why other members of the UN torture committee in Geneva were laughing, and then tells them to “shut up”.

Japanese lawyer Shinichiro Koike, who said he was at the session, said that a representative from Mauritius had criticised Japan's justice system, which does not allow lawyers to be present during interrogation.

Ueda jumped to his country's defence."Certainly Japan is not in the middle age," he says. "We are one of the most advanced country in this field."